The Maryland State Police launched an ambitious program of round-the-clock foot patrols yesterday in the drug-plagued Newtowne 20 neighborhood.

Col. Larry W. Tolliver, the state police superintendent, announcing the start of "Operation People" at a news conference yesterday, called it an "innovative, proactive program designed to attack the problem of community crime at its source."

In late afternoon, a team of 30 troopers began patrols in the public housing project off Forest Drive, where 21 people have been arrested on drug charges in recent weeks -- including seven yesterday.

The patrols are to be aided by police from Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.

Lt. Gregory M. Shipley, a state police spokesman, said the effort goes beyond traditional police work. "Troopers will be contacting each resident in the community, making available to them a wide assortment of state and local resources to address hopefully whatever problems they feel they have. . . . Your stove is broken, DTC the lights are out in the hallway, you need nets for the basketball court.

"We hope that by bringing the state resources into this area that we can address those very quickly and help those people improve their quality of life."

Colonel Tolliver has worked with Annapolis Mayor Alfred Hopkins, Alderman Carl Snowden, and the city's police chief, Harold Robbins, on the program.